Windows 8 details: new features, UI enhancements and everything in between

Windows 8 details: new features, UI enhancements and everything in between

Today, Windows Division prexy Steven Sinofsky treated Build 2011 attendees to a walkthrough of the various tweaks, subtle or otherwise, Microsoft’s made to Windows 8. Staying true to its roots, the new OS implements the familiar keyboard commands users have become accustomed to over the years — you know, like CMD and Ctrl+F. And as for its update to Internet Explorer, MS has imbued its tenth iteration with the ability to switch between the much-hyped Metro-style UI and plain old desktop view — all according to your whimsy. Of course, Redmond’s instituted other sweeping changes across the platform, and you can check some of the highlights after the break.

There’s “no overlays” with Windows 8; Metro-style goodness is baked into the core

Both Metro-style and conventional Win32 apps will be sold in the Windows Store

Windows 8 devices equipped with an NFC chip will be able to use a tap-to-share feature to either send content from one device to another, or simply receive content from something like an NFC-equipped card.

Logins will use a photo-based system

Apps will be able to natively connect and understand one another (if written as such)

Built-in antivirus software will ship in Windows 8

There will not be a different edition of Windows 8 for tablets, and presumably, not for Media Centers either

It’s unclear how many “editions” (Home, Professional, Ultimate, etc.) of Windows 8 there will be